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TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Six month notice for evictions extended into next year

Rules which were due to expire at the end of September have been extended meaning buy-to-let landlords in Wales must now give at least six months notice for evictions until at least 31 March 2021.

The move means renters in Wales will now get similar protection to those in England, where the need for a six-month notice period in most cases will stay in place until March.

Despite the lengthier notice period, tenants, including those with mounting arrears, are being reminded that they are required to fulfil their rental obligations.

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Housing minister Julie James said the changes are “not an excuse for people not to pay their rent”. 

She added: “The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to have a significant impact on daily life and is still posing major challenges for all of us. 

“I have therefore acted to give additional protection to renters by extending the current six month notice periods for eviction, other than the notice periods for possession grounds relating to anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse which will revert to the pre-Covid position.”

 

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  • Mark Wilson

    Mixed messages from Government. That's something new.

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    Who on earth would want to be a landlord in loopy England and Wales?
    I can see a lot of Landlords going bankrupt over this if the non payers continue to refuse paying for their living expenses. Even when landlords can bring a case to the courts it will be at least another 6 months possibly a year before the free loading tenant is forced to leave. Matt Allright on the telly was complaining at all the properties in the U.K. being left to rot when they could be turned into valuable housing to house the homeless. Well you ain’t seen nothing yet Matt, I foresee many landlords walking away from the rental market and if they can’t sell the property they will just ‘walk away and let it fall into disrepair’. Seemingly the government is content to support the non paying, free loading, shameful sections of our society, leaving entrepreneurial landlords of pick up the tab. Shameful, bloody shameful.

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    • 18 September 2020 11:37 AM

    Or many LL will take to residing at the property with all bills etc in their name.

    Then they will take on single unrelated sharers.
    No more than 4 to avoid Mandatory HMO licensing.
    Getting rid of rent defaulting lodgers is easy.
    In fact a LL will make more money from lodgers than AST tenants.
    LL just has to stay at least once per month.

    Most LL will find things to do at a property at least once per month.
    Once per month to be compliant with resi insurance.

     
    Ruan Gildchirst

    If you leave a property empty you have to pay expensive council tax?

     
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    Meanwhile in other news... "Optimism remains high among letting agents"

  • George Dawes

    As Paul Barrett has said many times the Govt want rid of small landlords.

    Tories and Labour are equally pandering to the tenant vote , thing is they're shooting themselves in the foot as I can see everything returning to the bad old days and slum tenements with rachman level landlords

    It's almost like it's all been planned ...

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    I agree with you George, they are intent on pushing good landlords out which will take us back to the old rogue landlord days of the heavies collecting the rent and caring out the evictions after dark, can't happen in the 21th century ? just watch this space !

     
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    • 18 September 2020 19:17 PM

    My houses are my houses.
    No one gets to rent one unless I want them to.

    I don't give a slightest what happens to people who steal form me and wreck my property.

    That is their fault.

    I abide by the rules, why should I not expect them to do the same?

     
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    • 18 September 2020 20:03 PM

    Love it if I can chuck out a tenant a day after no payment!!!!!!
    Just like Germany & Australia......Where none of this stuff happens
    Virtually NO rental defaults happen in either of those countries....I wonder why?

     
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    • 21 September 2020 10:33 AM

    I'd happily send the boys round for a small visit if it means I get my property back.
    That shows the intensity some of us have.

     
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    • 18 September 2020 20:13 PM

    @davidcrisp

    Unfortunately and this is something you are probably more aware of than most by due dint of your long PRS experience.
    I count myself as a veritable novice having only done it for 12 years!!

    But it is clear that Govts of all persuasions support feckless tenants.

    They keep on wittering about the Australian immigration points system which I entirely support so why not use that other excellent Australian process of fast track eviction after 14 days of rent default.

    I have NEVER seen anything in Oz MSM which castigates their repossession process.

    The concept of a fair go mate to pay your rent and if you don't you'll have to go.............mate!!! seems to me to be an equitable solution to rent defaulting.

    But the UK Govt knows the political fallout of millions of homeless tenants so it has effectively sequestrated LL private assets to house those who should have been evicted months ago had the LL determined to do so.
    The last time this happened was in the War when there was enforced billeting but I'm sure the Govt paid their rent!!!

    LL who abide by the rules are stomped all over by feckless tenants and certainly feckless Govts.
    An outrageous state of affairs but here we are.
    What can we do!!!?

    Govt has very effectively tied our hands.
    Constructive fecklessness has been imposed on us.
    Leaving the AST PRS is all I can see to do or sell up


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    Devastating news
    Our tenants stopped paying their rent a couple of months ago
    We needed to renew the gas certificate but they wouldn’t answer the numerous calls,texts,emails our agent made
    We wrote them a polite letter saying these were unprecedented times and we appreciate that people were struggling financially but there is help out there via universal credit and we still had an outstanding mortgage to pay on the property
    We had a payment out of the blue and now we’re only one month in arrears
    The agent then got a message to say they had to return to their own country for an emergency
    We still needed to service the gas boiler and appliances
    I received a video from the agent when they entered the property
    Every wall downstairs had graffiti on them,even the blinds on the patio doors had indelible pen on them
    I felt sick
    We’d put a brand new kitchen in the property and new carpets throughout
    The house was immaculate when they were chosen to rent our property
    They’ve made contact to the agent saying both of their passports had expired and they’ve got an appointment in 2 weeks time and it should take another 2 weeks for the passport to arrive
    It’s not looking good
    I still work myself,on live electric mains in all sorts of weather,I’m not wealthy but I’ve grafted hard for this and this was my pension
    This decision could be the final nail in the coffin I’m afraid

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    If you have made every effort to have the gas safe inspection carried out but been unable to do so because of the tenants then you as a landlord have done nothing wrong.

     
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    The government has done NOTHING for landlords, I have a tenant that has paid enough to show willing but no where near the full amount. He left the property in March without telling anyone, did not turn up for 3 meetings with the management company, electrician, etc and I have to wait to get him out. How can thi be right?

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    • 19 September 2020 10:48 AM

    Time for a CCJ?

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    Absolute joke having 2 tenants not paid for over 6 months now this really is happening to LL's.
    Still in a reasonable position as the properties have no debt against them but the money has always been used to cover other properties that have considerable borrowing which now leaves me just above even. Unfortunately they're in Islington where the mayor looks like something out of Camberwell green and she's worried about homelessness in the winter so she's campaigning about no evictions permanently.
    As the government seems to have abandoned any kind of common sense for LL's i can see LL's take matters into their own hands and it's going get very nasty. Huge implications for me and I thought I was in a good position need to get them out .
    They are basically squatters that have the support of the government to just putting two fingers up at us.

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    I too can see things getting nasty, there is only so much that landlords can or will take.

     
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    • 19 September 2020 13:29 PM

    Yep what are the Courts gonna do!?
    Lock up hundreds of thousands of LL who illegally remove feckless rent defaulting tenants!?

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    • 21 September 2020 10:17 AM

    I would happily go to gaol for a while if it gets this pathetic system fixed.

    Dunno if they can get me into gaol from here in Cyprus though!
    Maybe an unexpected repatriation is in the future too..!!!!!
    But maybe not now that we have already left the EU?
    A truly difficult dilemma? :-)

    :-)

     
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    The government are breaking our human rights for Landlords and a big court case will come !

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    • 21 September 2020 10:13 AM

    Omigod! I really hope that will happen.
    And VERY soon.

     
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    • 21 September 2020 10:20 AM

    Out of 2.5 million LL how many would bother contributing to a court case over LL human rights!?

    I suggest not many.
    Which is why LL will continue to be stomped on by allcomers.

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    • 21 September 2020 10:29 AM

    A few hundred thousand will force the Govt. to react to it. In fact, I think the limit is actually 100,000 signatures sparks a review panel.

    Ho hum...We will see. Fingers crossed.

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    • 21 September 2020 10:31 AM

    Particularly as the petition can be signed online. And is signed at no cost.
    Not being cynical, I would like to think that most LL would sign.

     
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    • 21 September 2020 10:39 AM

    And they can do what they want with me.

    And in that case, The Govt. would immediately lose 10 properties for rent and hence 10 homeless tenants and families.

    And that will be at least 30 people left with no roof over their heads, compliments from No. 10, and unnecessarily so.

    BOSH! All gone.

    All the fault of a very stupid Govt. They are deliberately bringing this upon the country themselves. Foolish and shocking beyond belief.

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    So my tenants signed a lease with a two month notice clause, I need the property myself in three months, do I still have to give six months notice under the current rules?

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    what car does your tenant drive ?

     
    Matthew Payne

    Yes Nigel, I am afraid so.

     
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